Sneak Peak: Factory Visits with Anima Domus

Behind the smooth wooden grain of a solid wood chair by Porada, the carefully stitched leather of a timeless Gamma sofa, the innovative forward thinking design of CLEI space saving solutions, or the artisanal sculpted glass base of a Reflex dining table, are calloused hands, clear cut focus, and the Italian passion.

(Pictured: Cutting glass sheets at Reflex Factory)

Anima Domus has recently completed its semi-annual trip to Italy to further align itself with some of its new and old Italian partners, by visiting their factories and becoming more knowledgable on their production practices. “It is important that the furniture we sell is responsibly made,” says Anima Domus President, Marconi Naziazeni. “It is important that we minimize our ecological impact. That we become conscious of how things are produced so that we can teach our clients and help them make more well educated choices.”(Pictured: Wood Storage at Porada Factory)

From an environmental and labor ethics stand point, our Italian suppliers are truly superior. The glass is recycled, the leather is carefully controlled with the scraps repurposed, the wood is sustainably cut and carefully treated––and our suppliers are extremely proud of it. The Italians have become passionate about lowering the impact of their production practices. In a time that some of the world has shifted to more goods, made faster, without looking at its impact, the Italian manufacturers represented by Anima Domus are heading in the exact opposite direction. To them it has been the same person cutting the leather for 30 years, shaping the wood, perfecting the mechanisms, and managing the machinery. There is “know how” that is passed on through generations of artisans.

(Pictured: Special stitching for leather sofa at Gamma Factory)

(Pictured: Production of the Kosmo console at Porada Factory)

It is important to produce, but not if it means skipping over the details. They are proud to stamp their logo on each of their unique pieces, but it has to have beautiful design, smart manufacturing, and be ecologically friendly.